4 Bountiful Peak Drive
This route connects Bountiful and Farmington on unpaved roads in the Wasatch-Cache National Forest. Access via US 89 in either Bountiful or Farmington.

Mueller Canyon Drive
Driving east toward the Wasatch Mountains in Bountiful, take 1800 South toward Mueller Canyon. Although this close-in tour starts in a residential area, it opens into one of the most vibrant and colorful fall color areas in suburban Utah. Open to passenger cars. (801) 451-3286

5 Tooele Area Drives - Middle Canyon - South Willow Road
Take Vine Street from Main Street and head east until Vine becomes Middle Canyon Road. You are now driving into the Oquirrh Mountains. At the summit, return by the same route or continue east into the Salt Lake Valley through Butterfield Canyon. This route also provides access to the Bingham Canyon Copper Mine overlook.

The majority of the road on the west side of Butterfield pass is paved. On the eastern side, the road is dirt and washboarded. This route is generally steep and portions have narrow switchbacks. A four-wheel drive or high clearance vehicle is recommended.

The South Willow Road originates six miles south of Grantsville and winds west through the Wasatch-Cache National Forest for about eight miles to the Deseret Peak trailhead. The first half of this backway is paved, the second half is not. Although the road is rough and steep, it is passable in a passenger car in good weather. Ask locally about road conditions and weather before attempting this route

8 Big Cottonwood Canyon - Guardsman's Pass - Park City - Heber Valley
Same directions to Big Cottonwood Canyon (preceding tour). Just below the village of Brighton, take the Guardsman's Pass road over the mountain to either Park City or Heber.

Route passable in passenger car in good weather and more driver friendly today than it was decades ago. www.parkcityinfo.com, www.hebervalleycc.org

19 Price - Castle Valley
Several roads and canyons surrounding Price offer colorful autumn drives including Price Canyon (US 6), Indian Canyon (Scenic Byway US 191 from Helper to Duchesne) and Nine Mile Canyon (a major repository of Fremont Indian rock art). To access Nine Mile Canyon, turn onto the canyon road at Walker's Chevron station 2 miles east of Wellington. Watch for the Nine Mile Canyon sign.

UT 10 between Price and I-70 provides access to the Manti-LaSal National Forest and the Skyline Drive (preceding tour). Huntington Canyon (UT 31) is one of Utah's top scenic byways. From its eastern terminus, you'll ascend the route from Huntington, then descend west to Fairview. Huntington Canyon is open to passenger cars.

Once in Fairview, you can head south on US 89 (Utah's Heritage Highway) to tour the small towns of Sanpete County - Mt. Pleasant, Spring City, Ephraim and Manti. This area is expected to become part of a National Mormon Pioneer Heritage Area. www.castlecountry.com. US 89 is open to passenger cars.

23 LaSal Mountain Drive
Take UT 128 east from Moab for 16 miles along the Colorado River.  Then turn right (southeast) onto County Road 73 that leads into Castle Valley.  As you proceed through Castle Valley, you'll ascend into the Manti-LaSal National Forest. Watch for signs that direct you to turn right onto the LaSal Mountain Loop Road. 

You can also access this loop road from its south end off US 191.  Seven miles south of the Moab city limit, turn left onto Old Airport Road and proceed to Spanish Valley Drive.  Bear right onto Spanish Valley Drive and continue on to the junction with County Road 73.  This is the LaSal Mountain Loop Road.

Although this route is paved, it may be temporarily impassable in case of snow.  Due to several hairpin turns, parts of this route, particularly on the Castle Valley side, are unsuitable for large RV's, large motorhomes and large trailers. Top regional destinations include Canyonlands National Park, Arches National Park, Dead Horse Point State Park and several Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lookouts.  Call 800-635-6622 for route information and "best color"  times.  www.discovermoab.com

24 Highway 211 from Junction with US 191 to Canyonlands National Park
Called the Indian Creek Scenic Byway, this route begins at the junction with US 191 fourteen miles north of Monticello.  Drive west on the two-lane paved road across a high sage plain before descending into a series of 'switchbacks' to Newspaper Rock--a sheltered alcove featuring rock art by ancestral puebloans.  Beyond Newspaper Rock the Byway continues through Indian Creek Canyon where cottonwood trees glow in gold, surrounded by red standstone cliffs.  The cottonwoods follow Indian Creek down to Dugout Ranch.  Views encompass North and South Sixshooter Peaks.  Cliffs rising from the valley floor reach 1,000+ feet to the Canyon Rims Recreation Area and Island in the Sky District of Canyonlands. 

The Needles District of Canyonlands National Park lies ahead and, although the desert foliage is sparse, the colors are tawny and subtle.  Although this route is one way in/one way out, the view going in the opposite direction is equally spectacular. Call 435-587-3235 for route information and "best color"  times. www.southeastutah.com

25 Harts Draw Road from the Junction with Utah Highway 211
On the return trip from Indian Creek Scenic Byway (previous tour), three miles east of the 'switchbacks' and eight miles from the junction with US 191, you come to the junction of the Harts Draw Road.  Turn south and start an easy climb on this paved two-lane road into the Manti La Sal National Forest (known locally as the Abajo Mountains or "Blues").  As you climb, the foliage changes from dusky sage and tawny grass to the deep green of pinion and juniper and then to fir and ponderosa.  Enroute, gambel oak reveals its bronze-red foliage (if your timing is right!).  Aspen populate higher slopes and glow in gold and canary!  The road crosses the north flank of the mountains and descends into Monticello. 

If you take this route from the Monticello side, drive two blocks south of the traffic light at the junction of US 191 and US 666.  Turn west onto 200 South Street and follow the ascent to the lower reaches of the mountain and the Harts Draw Road.  Call 435-587-3235 for route information and "best color"  times. www.southeastutah.com

26 Monticello to Blanding via the Abajo Loop Scenic Backway
Including County Road #285 and Forest Road 079) If you want to climb higher in the Abajo Mountains than the paved road allows, the Abajo Loop is for you!  Ascending through mountainous terrain to just above 9,000 feet, this route immerses you in gold-leaf aspen and saffron maple scattered among the dark green fir.  The road joins the Harts Draw Road five miles from Monticello via 200 South Street just past the USFS Dalton Springs Campground.  You immediately plunged into the bright yellow of an aspen grove as you begin to climb the Abajo Loop.  You encounter turning aspen and scattered amber and saffron maple throughout the entire route. 

Sections of the road border the tree line and offer spectacular views into Colorado and New Mexico before you descend toward Blanding through more aspen and dusky gambel oak.  High clearance 4WD essential.  Call 435-587-3235 for route information and "best color"  times.  www.southeastutah.com

27 Utah Highway 46 from US 191 east to the Colorado border
Resting on the southern slope of the Manti La Sal National Forest / LaSal Mountains, this route begins thirty-two miles north of Monticello and climbs to 7,000 feet in La Sal.  The first section of the route crosses the high desert, where ochre rabbit brush is an early harbinger of fall. The tiny town of La Sal is marked by venerable cottonwoods. 

Leaving La Sal, the route climbs over La Sal Hill through acres of deep green ponderosa before descending to Old La Sal in a mountain meadow.  Continuing beyond Old La Sal the road enters La Sal Creek Canyon, where colors run riot with fall asters, cottonwood, oak, and shrubs decked out in maize, flax and ochre.  About twenty miles beyond La Sal the view opens suddenly revealing Colorado's Paradox Valley.  High clearance 4WD essential for off-road touring. Call 1-800-574-4386 for route information and "best color"  times. www.southeastutah.com

28 Utah Highway 95 /  Trail of the Ancients Scenic Byway / Utah Bicentennial Highway
Undulating across the rugged canyons of southeastern Utah, this route winds through white and red sandstone along washes crowded with golden cottonwoods.  UT 95 joins US 191 four miles south of Blanding and heads west across Cedar Mesa, a vast plateau blanketed by pinion and juniper, highlighted with striking points of brilliant lemon cottonwood.  Many backroads extend from this main route into higher fall color. 

About ten miles west of Blanding where Utah Highway 95 crosses Comb Ridge and descends into Comb Wash, you come to a king's ransom of gold as ancient cottonwoods turn on the charm.  Continue about five miles to Mule Canyon and on to the Mule Canyon Ruin--easily accessible just off the road and surrounded by dusky blond rabbit brush.   The Trail of the Ancients continues to the junction with Utah Highway 261 where it turns south across Cedar Mesa and provides access to still more byways marked by pockets of tawny cottonwood. 

Utah 261 descends abruptly through the 'Moki Dugway' as it drops 1,500 feet to the floor of the Valley of the Gods.  Fall temperatures make hiking irresistible in this area.  Joining US Highway 163 five miles north of Mexican Hat the route heads east to Bluff and a riot of lemon, ochre and saffron colors along the San Juan River.  Leaving Bluff, the route heads north to Blanding and points north.  Call 1-800-574-4386 for route information and "best color"  times. www.southeastutah.com

29 Cedar Breaks National Monument - Brian Head - Dixie National Forest
Cedar Breaks, often likened to a miniature version of Bryce Canyon, glistens high on the Markagunt Plateau in southwestern Utah.  Access is via UT 143 from Parowan or UT 148 south of the park (atop Cedar Canyon, junction with UT 14). 

The drive from Parowan up to the mountain resort community of Brian Head is very steep and unsuitable for large RV's, large motorhomes and large trailers.  Even a light snowfall renders this segment impassable until the road is plowed or sanded.  It's also a steep climb up UT 14.  Note: Brian Head is one of Utah's top mountain biking destinations.

A less challenging route that presents some of Utah's most stunning fall colors is UT 143 from Panguitch up to Cedar Breaks.  The area around the junction of UT 143 and the Sidney Valley Road in particular hosts massive aspen groves that tend toward red in mid-late September.  Regional attractions include Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks.  This tour may be combined with the next two.  www.scenicsouthernutah.com, www.brianheadchamber.com, www.nps.gov/cebr 

31 Bryce Canyon National Park
The redrock spires, pinnacles and canyons of this Utah landmark form a perfect setting for the golden aspens that line the amphitheaters of Bryce Canyon. Reach Bryce Canyon from UT 12. At the junction of UT 12 and UT 63 turn south toward Ruby's Inn. The national park entrance lies just south of Ruby's Inn.

No matter what your point of origin, you'll wind up on UT 12, the All American Road described above in the Aquarius Plateau tour. The drive from the junction of US 89 and UT 12 east to the Bryce turnoff at UT 63 takes you through the Dixie National Forest and Red Canyon, a brilliant "teaser" of what's ahead at Bryce. www.brycecanyoncountry.com, www.nps.gov/bryc